Headlight Switch Problems of Mercury Grand Marquis - part 1

Headlight Switch problem of the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
1

Failure Date: 04/25/2016

On 25 April 2016 driving on a two lane country road at night both headlights suddenly turned off. I was able to pull into a farm access space and avoided the ditch. Although the parking lights seemed to work I was not able to turn on the headlights for several minutes. Finally after many trys with the light switch the headlights did come back on. I was able to reach home without further incident but now fear driving car at night!.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
4

Failure Date: 07/08/2015

I just recently purchased this vehicle from a small dealer on 6/30/15. On 7/8/15, at about 8pm, I was driving home from a long trip for work, got about 20 miles into my 70 mile drive, when it seemed like the road in front of me was darker than it should have been, I made sure my headlight switch was on headlight mode. It was actually on automatic mode, so switched it to reg headlight mode. I was not use to this new car yet, having not driven it much at night yet and just thought it was my imagination, that they were not on as they seemed to have worked previously. I kept driving as I could still see the road in front on me but it was definitely getting darker and darker and now cars coming from the other direction were flashing me, so I had a feeling that they were not working. When it was safe to do, after trying unsuccessfully to get the headlights working by turning the switch dial, I immediately found a somewhat safe spot to pull over. I got out, looked in the front and surely they were not working but only in flash mode. I turned car off, checked fuses, waited about 10 more minutes, then started car again. They finally came on, so I took advantage of the situation and made a dash towards home again, which was probably another 35 miles or so. I do have aaa, if I needed to use it but just wanted to get home. I made it home safely, thank god but this seems to be intermittent, as they work sometime and other times they don't. I was wondering if there is any recall on this matter as it seems to be a huge safety issue and I do not want to be in anymore positions where this keeps happening. I work late a lot but since this has happened, I'm extremely nervous driving car past a certain time now and can't afford this to keep happening as this is my main car, I use daily. Thank you very much and look forward to any/all replies back. Have a great day. Kevin snyder.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
5

Failure Date: 06/17/2015

I started my car after dark and did not have any headlights. All the other lights worked. The only way I could make the headlights function was by holding the high beam switch on the signal lever toward me all the way home, over 1 hour. . When I got home I looked on the internet to see if this was a common problem and it is with this year and model car. It is a safety issue and the manufacturer should warn and address this problem.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
6

Failure Date: 06/09/2015

I was driving in low light conditions with the headlight switch in the 'on' position and noted no lights, I pulled to the side of the road and noted all other lights brake/tail/running were in working order. After a brief outage the lights came back on - and I continued on. Later that evening approximately 11p, in the dark, I was to return home. The headlights failed to light after several attempts and I had to drive home while holding my high beam selector in the flash to pass position. After approximately 7 miles the headlights came back on and I made it home. I checked the internet and found a 'customer satisfaction' campaign, though not a recall. I called the dealership and explained the issue, they had me in the next day, replaced the part and had me back on the road in under an hour, at no cost. The part alone is $260 on internet sites, and I've heard of dealer charging 600-7000 dollars for the repair - prior to the campaign. I'm satisfied and hope it is fixed for good now.

﻿

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
7

Failure Date: 04/01/2015

Headlights suddenly go out while driving at night. Switching between settings does not bright them back on. The only way to have any headlights on at all is to pull and hold the bar that turns on the brights.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
8

Failure Date: 02/21/2015

Headlights flicker on and off without warning. I have to hold my bright lights switch towards me in order to see on the road at night on my way to and from any given destination without warning. I've had it fixed but didn't fix the problem because it continues to happen.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
9

Failure Date: 12/20/2014

Nighttime, turned car off in drive through line at fast food place 185 miles from home. Have light switch on automatic. Turned car on and drove off only to realize that my headlights were not on. Stopped in adjacent parking lot and began playing with the switch, turning car off and on, trying to figure out how to drive three hours with no lights. . . High beam flash mode would function, but would be very unsafe on two lane highway. Suddenly began working on own. Stopped one time in route home but again played with it till it came on again. Fear this is a big safety issue.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
10

Failure Date: 12/02/2014

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the headlights failed without warning. The contact had to turn off and restart the vehicle in order for the headlights to resume normal function. The failure recurred on numerous occasion. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the lighting module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the lighting module had been repaired previously under an unknown manufacturer's recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,300.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
11

Failure Date: 10/30/2014

My brother was visiting for my son's wedding and used our mother's car for transportation. He found that the headlights would not come on, and eventually found that holding the high beam switch "on", the lights worked. At the dealership he was told there was likely a recall to fix this. Since he has gone back home, I have been researching this for my mother. I found a closed "safety" issue, number pe08066, which is exactly what he experienced. Although you have a very low number of complaints listed, consider this: most of these cars are purchased by older people, many mechanically incapable in addition to being unsavvy with computers and the internet, and tend to drive it less, especially at night, so the issue would not be noticeable for quite some time. If they did experience this, they probably paid some serious money to Ford dealers to get it fixed, not realizing that this is a huge safety issue and this should be fixed for free under warranty before failure of the module - the TSB talks about failure of the module. Well, my brother took it in for inspection with this faulty module, and it passed, so then do they not consider it "failed"? mother is 91 years old and would probably panic if the lights went out while she was driving it. This is a major safety issue, and should be rated higher to get the warranty work done!!! I plan to follow up with the same dealer and see what they have to say about this. My suspicion is that until it fails she will have to pay for this fix, which is not cheap. This is ridiculous. Listing my information instead of hers as she needs our help to deal with this kind of annoyance.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
12

Failure Date: 10/16/2014

While driving on the expressway with the headlights on auto-on, the headlights on our vehicle turned off. I attempted to turn them on manually, but they would not come on. This situation has happened several times and creates a very dangerous situation. They do eventually come on, sometimes when playing with the light switch manually and sometimes not until you stop, turn the vehicle off and then turn the vehicle back on again. Occurrences are random. There is no steady pattern. Thanks.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
13

Failure Date: 10/15/2014

My husband and I have had to make other arrangements for us getting back and forth to work after the headlights stopped working on this car. We went to the dealership who stated the part was on back order. We were just able to get the part placed on 1/21/2015 and it worked for the first hour. We took it back on 1/22/2015 and was told that the lighting controls (the switch that turns the light on auto, off etc) is not their problem. It seems they allow these problems to occur long enough to allow it to effect other things on the car then state there was only one problem approved without the out of pocket. However we had no problems until the headlights stopped working. The next thing that went were the dash board lights and now the brake lights. How do we know that depending upon the timeframe problem exists, it may have an adverse affect on other things? this has been a huge inconvenience and it seems they want a fatality before something is done about it.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
14

Failure Date: 09/20/2014

The headlights turned off while on the freeway. Since then it's happening more frequently. Now it's multiple times each morning on the 35 minute trip to work. Temporary solution is to manually hold the momentary brights switch. Holding this switch while driving is annoying, and unsafe since that it on the same lever as the turn signals.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
15

Failure Date: 08/31/2014

Headlights intermittently fail without warning and cannot be regained with headlight switch. In fact, no position operates with the headlight switch - no parking lights, no headlights, etc. Only after a seemingly random cooling period will the module allow the circuit to re-engage. Ford issued recall 14n01 but to date has not provided car dealers nor retail customers with a replacement switch. One Ford dealer ( tom peck Ford 608-676-2273) says back orders are unfilled . No Ford dealers nor after market auto parts companies are able to obtain the part. Even if the vehicle owner attempts to purchase and replace the small cigarette sized box called a "light control module" out of pocket, rather than waiting on Ford, it cannot be found on the market in companies like advance auto parts. This is not intended as a shrill complaint about Ford. But the danger is huge to the driver and other vehicles when this part randomly causes all power to be lost to the headlights. At highway speeds, it is very difficult to maintain control of the vehicle to a stop in total darkness. The part failure is increasing in frequency, and is has become a safety menace. Some Ford or Mercury owners may not be affluent enough to own a second vehicle to drive only at night. No drivers want to encounter another vehicle with that kind of malfunction. In fact, all the vehicles with that known hazard should be off the road at night. No doubt Ford has been addressing the light control module issue since the April 2014 recall, but certainly not with the urgency required.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
16

Failure Date: 07/19/2014

Headlights would not light had to hold the dimmer switch to flash. What is the potential cost of a fatality due to the headlights going out while driving down the road? wakeup Ford. . . . Don't you see the big picture or are your lights out too?!!!!.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
17

Failure Date: 07/04/2014

While driving down the highway @ 65 mph the headlights suddenly went out causing a very dangerous situation. I tried the switch in every position to no avail the only solution was to use the flash to pass bar. I safely pulled off the road and tried restarting the car and moving the switch to different positions, nothing would work. The only way to use the lights is the flash to pass (bright lights) switch which causes not only a safety hazard to my family and other drivers but is against the law to drive with only bright lights. Ford has issued (customer satisfaction program 14n01) which is a step in the right direction but the dealerships all say that the lcm is on backorder and will be at least 45 days to receive this safety hazard part. Mt family is now stuck in a vehicle that can only be safely driven during daylight hours. Please help, parts stores have these parts and Ford should have to be required to purchase them if they can not provide the parts until 45 days later. Is this safety issue going to take someone dying before it is rectified?.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
18

Failure Date: 06/29/2014

I was driving on a two lane road after dark when suddenly the headlights went out and a very loud buzzing noise occurred simultaneously in the dash. I was able to slow down safely because two cars were meeting us and their lights afforded enough vision to keep my car in my lane. I pulled off the road and tried various positions with the light switch and high and low beam switch. All the lighting seemed to work except the headlights. Finally, I turned off the ignition. When I restarted the car the lights came back on and we drove on home very carefully. They have worked since but I am very wary of driving after dark. The buzzing noise quit, also, and has not returned.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
19

The headlights would not come on even tried to turn them on manually. Had to drive home holding the dimmer switch back to have high beams.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
20

Failure Date: 06/02/2014

In early June the headlights started going out with no warning. They would also flash on and off when the wipers were on. Took the car to a mechanic and he said the lcm was bad. $500 to repair. Was looking online for a lcm and seen that Ford was extending their warranty on the lcm under the number 14n01. Looked at my Ford recall letters and seen that Ford sent out this warranty 14n01 to me in April of 2014. Took car to the dealer on 11 August and they confirmed the lcm was bad and would replace it. It is now 15 September and the parts are still not available. Now the wipers and wiper washer come on even when the wiper switch is off. Lights come on when their not supposed to. Anti-skid was also flashing on and off. Car may be unsafe to drive but I need transportation for work and cannot always use my wife's car. Ford will not offer a car for me to use. Should this be a safety recall? do I have any options with Ford?.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
21

Failure Date: 04/20/2014

The headlights on my 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis have stopped working. This has been an intermittent problem. The most recent issue left my wife and mother in law stranded along the roadside. The first time I thought it was the switch in the steering column because after working the blinkers the lights started working. The next time my wife was driving on the interstate highway and the lights just went off at interstate speeds. It seems this is a common issue and has stranded others.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
22

Failure Date: 04/17/2014

The headlights would turn on intermittently and then began to fail completely. With the dash switch in the proper place, the headlights would not come on. The high beams would continue to work, but the low beams would not. A Ford dealership declared that it was a bad lighting control module.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
23

Failure Date: 03/25/2014

At about 8 pm, I was driving on an interstate in heavy traffic when the headlights went out. I was able to pull off the interstate. I turned the headlight switch on and off, but the headlights did not come back on. After a few minutes, the headlights just came back on. I turned on my blinker to get back on the interstate and the headlights went off again. My husband and I swapped seats and he took over the driving. The lights came back on and he pulled onto the interstate. The lights went off again and as long as he pulled the blinker towards him, then we had bright lights. Whenever he released the blinker, the lights went out. After driving for about 10 minutes with the bright lights on, the dim headlights came back on and stayed on for the next hour as we drove home. He was told at a Ford dealership that it was the light switch, so he replaced the switch. The next night the headlights went off again. I pulled off the road for a few minutes and the lights came back on and stayed on until we got home about 20 minutes later. We have not driven the car at night since then. We have since learned via this site that there is a problem with the light control module. The service man in the Ford parts department said it was his experience that when this happened it was the light switch. So we spent $137 on a part that we did not need.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
24

Failure Date: 02/03/2014

I drive on the highway from to work. During the winter months, it is dark at 6 am. This morning, as I usually do, the light switch was on and it was on low beams. Suddenly, the headlights went out. I pulled over and stopped. The side markers and the parking lights were on. I sat for a few minutes to decide how to get home with no lights. Then the headlights came back on. I took a chance, they remained on, that day. It would occur periodically then daily, sometimes two (2) to three (3) times on the drive to work.

Headlight Switch problem of the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
25

Failure Date: 01/04/2014

We were driving on rte 202 in chalfont, PA and turned onto rte 152 heading south. While driving along an unlit part of the road, the headlights went out. The switch was not working to turn on or off. I went off the road but was able to recover safely. I turned the car around and headed home. Lights came on and off again in about 3 minutes. Lights continue to go off randomly when car is driven at night time.